


The Goddess of the North

by LadyCassie



Series: The Lady of Winterfell [9]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, God Robb, Goddess Sansa, Jon Snow is the Prince who was promised, Winterfell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-06-14 16:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15392874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyCassie/pseuds/LadyCassie
Summary: "They took him from me, the one person who mattered most to me in this world and they stole him away. They think me good, they think that I will not retaliate against them, but for him, I will rage war across the land and any who stand in my way, shall die."





	1. The awakening

**_I do not own Game of Thrones_ **

* * *

**Long before men roamed the earth, the Gods roamed free across the land, choosing where they would lay claim. If Man should happen upon their land and offer them tribute, then the Gods would lay claim to them as their followers.**

**Gods, whether people know it or not, can live and die. Their lives depend on the people who still believe in them, who still whisper their name, who still pray to them.**

**There are some who are born and die as quickly as a fading star and then there are those who have been around since the beginning of time, their hold on the land so strong that even in death they are reborn.**

**There are people who believe that the Gods walk among them, that sometimes they allow themselves to be born into human bodies so that they might walk among their people.**

**When children are still small enough to be carried within their Mother's arms, they are told a tale of a time long since past. They are told the story of a boy and of a girl, and how they belonged together. They speak of how the boy knew of the girl's arrival long before she had even been conceived, of how her name fell from his lips long before she was even a thought, and of how he would whisper to her while she still lay within her mother's womb of a life they had once lived together long ago.**

**They say the old Gods have been together since the beginning of time, but it was Man who would tear them apart.**

* * *

Once, the land of the North was a glories realm, filled with life and growth, but long since passed are those days and the people have forgotten that it was not always a wintery land they lived upon. They say the Old Gods are two beings born together as one. That they are life and death, good and evil, winter and summer.

Many believe the weirwood trees to be a mirror of their image. They are thought to be fair of skin, with hair as red as the setting sun and that the heart trees were craved so that the Gods might gaze upon them while the people were at prayer.

Jon hadn't believed in the Gods, not truly, but coming back from the dead can change a person.

"Tell me," Jon began, gazing out at the wide-open stretch of snow-covered land while both Tormund and himself stood alone atop the wall. "What do you know of the Old Gods?"

Tormund grumbled deep in the back of his throat, the sound becoming slightly lost to the wind that whistled around them.

"The Free folk believe that in the beginning, there were two. Two souls intertwined as one. A man and a woman, a husband and a wife, a brother, and a sister. King and Queen." Jon listened carefully to the words the free folk man spoke, how the words were chosen carefully as if one word wrong might bring their wrath down upon them. "When I was still a boy, the elder woman once told me a story about the Gods. Of how a great crime was committed against them while they walked among us in human form."

Jon, curious about the crime, waited silently for Tormund to continue.

"They say that she was stolen away and that they bound her in human bones so that they might have control of her, but they forgot him. Some of the free folk believe him to now be the Night King, still seeking his love who was taken so long ago, others, other's believe him to be the monster the Gods sent to punish them for a crime commits eons ago."

"What did she look like?"

Tormund's laugh was taunting, his eyes holding something sinister within them.

"They say they both were touched by fire, but that she was the most beautiful woman to have ever walked the land, and that all men who gazed upon her beauty became entrapped, but you see she was already in love." The wind which had been a whistle had turned into a mournful howl. "She had freely given him her heart so long ago, that to tear them apart meant not only were they torn apart from each other, but she was torn apart from the very world they were so connected too."

"I saw something," Jon said, pausing as he allowed his hand to run over the wolf head of his sword. "In the dark, cold abyss, a hand reached out to me. It pulled me back."

"Something brought you back, Snow," Tormund said, his eyes meeting Jon's. "Wheather it was the witches God or the Olds one's, it matters not, because you were brought back for a reason." Seeing that Jon was not satisfied with his words, he carried on. "I don't have the answers you so obviously seek, but the Gods do, ask them." He said and decided it was best to leave Jon Snow alone with his thoughts, for Tormund could not give him what he sought.

Alone, Jon turned his gaze back out to the wide open white land that stretched out further then the eye could see. This land belonged to the Old Gods and though the Red woman claimed it to be her God which brought him back, he couldn't help but see a red tear stained face, a face which belonged to the tree which stood in the Gods wood of Winterfell.

It was then that he knew, that the answers he sought could only be found in the ancient castle, and he knew it was time to return home.

* * *

**"Will you stay with me?" She couldn't help but ask, unable to tear her gaze from the body that lay before them.  
**

**Entwining their hands, he answered her as he always did. "Forever."**

* * *

Winterfell was once the most magnificent castle in the North, but now ash lingered on the walls from when the iron born had burned it down, skins of what were once loyal Stark men and women still lingered across the castle, and yet, the gods wood remained untouched, as if the hand of God had reached out to stay the flames before they could travel across the archways that lead into the woods.

The Boltens hadn't touched it, and the Iron Born who were said to despise the other Gods hadn't dared to touch it either. The further he ventured inside what had once been his families childhood playing ground, the more he felt like there were eyes watching him, following him along the familiar pathway that led to the hot springs and more importantly, the Gods tree.

Eyes dripping blood-red sap seemed to stare at him from an impossible angle. The wind which had howled outside the forest seemed almost nonexistent now that he stood before the Gods. The moonlight casts the snow porcelain white and gave light to what should have been darkness.

Kneeling, he placed his hand on the tree bark.

"I come before you as a man of the North, a man who has always followed the teachings of the Old Gods," his eyes closed, his mind conjuring up the image of the being who had pulled him from the abyss. "I seek an answer to a question I know only you can answer."

"You seek answers," the voice startled Jon, causing instinct to take over and without his know-how, he found himself leveling his blade with a pale neck.

A cruel smirk graced a pair of out of proportion lips, the top lip is too thin, while the bottom lip was overly large. The face of the woman was hard but clean, and freshly washed hair hung unevenly around her face.

"You'd best remove that blade, boy. We wouldn't want you to die before you could give us answers." She spoke as if it were her blade being held at Jon's neck and not the other way around.

Her speech was that of the North beyond the wall, but Jon could not understand why she would threaten him if she had been one of the spear wives to take part in the battle.

"Us?" He asked, eyes trying to see who else lurked within the dark. At first, he came across nothing, but then from within the darkness, the crunch of snow alerted him to the glowing eyes watching from mere feet away. The silhouette of a large wolf, blacker then coal prowled forward, its build larger then Ghost, but definitely a direwolf. Its eyes, a startling green now that it stood within the view of the moonlight are familiar as is the figure that sits upon its back.

Grown and with hair wilder than before, Rickon sits upon the back of what had once been the pup Jon had last seen him with when he had left Winterfell to join the Nights Watch so long ago.

"Rickon!" It's said as almost a plea because he has lost too much for this not to be real.

"You look like my Father," Jon can tell he's confused, so he takes the blade from the free folk women's neck and takes a single step in Rickons direction, only to have a blade pressed to his neck by the very women he'd just released.

"You'll not take another step." She warned.

Jon gave her a quick glance. "Rickon, "He carried on as if the blade wasn't there. "God, you were so small the last time I saw you, but you've grown, your almost a man." He couldn't help but smile as the moon cast its glow upon him, allowing Jon to finally see him in full. "I thought you were dead."

"Who are you?" The woman hissed.

"Your Jon," Rickon eventually spoke, his brows tugged down as if doubtful if he was right or not.

"That's right, I am." Jon couldn't help but smile, he had worried that maybe Rickon was to young the last time they saw each other to remember him.

"She told me about you," Rickon said, shifting to climb down from Shaggydogs back, the snow crunching noisily underneath his boots. "She said you would return."

The blade finally lifted from his neck and the woman peered at him with slightly less suspicious eyes.

"You've been keeping things from me," she said, stepping away from Jon yet still keeping himself within her sights.

Rickon was silent as he made a hand gesture to Shaggydog who retreated back in the darkness, melting seamlessly into the shadows until his hulking form disappeared altogether.

"She?" Jon asked looking to the free folk woman.

"The one within the tree," Rickon answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"She came to him in his sleep, told him that it was time to return." The woman said, her gaze fixating on the Gods Tree. "I know enough from the other little Lords dreams to know when we should follow the dreams heed."

"Bran said she would call us home, that I was to wait until she came to me."

"Bran! Do you know where he is? Why did you separate?" Jon was desperate to know of his other brother's whereabouts.

Rickon looked uncertain, but the woman nodded for him to carry on. "She wants him to find where they took him, find the one who stole him away. There's someone waiting for him there, someone that he needs to find." He spoke as if in a trance as if the words were not his own.

"I don't understand, who is she?" Jon asked, looking over his shoulder to the blood dripping eyes that stared out at him, his breathing picking up slightly as the feeling of eyes watching him washed over him.

"Her name was forgotten long ago," Rickon began walking forward until he stood before the tree upon when he turned to face Jon.

Jon turned completely and felt his spine stiffen. A figure slowly slipped from the Gods Tree, the body slowly turning from whitebark into pale skin until a pale naked body appeared, long red hair whipping around it like a cloak as snow lifted to create a simple white shift to cover the naked female body.

"I had many names," the figure slowly raised their bowed head, red hair falling like a curtain to reveal a pale face. "I was Sister, friend, lover, wife, but my beloved brother Robb named me Sansa when first we were together."

Flashes of the darkness came to mind, the pale hand reaching out, the red hair flowing like silk thread, this wasn't a woman stood before him, this was a God.

* * *

**"Humans like to believe that they know history quite well, but they're wrong. A human who lives mere years compared to the life a God can live, cannot pass on history very well. Time changes their view of the events which happened and each time it passed down to another the events once again continued to change until the truth became a mixture of lies.**

**I do not remember much of my birth, only that upon opening my eyes he was there, my brother that is, and from then on I knew we would never part.**

**Mortal beings came into our lives and left just as fleetingly as the seasons. We had but each other as a** **constant.**

**I fell in love but once in my immortal life. He was a mere man, nothing outstanding, but he was kind, and brave and held a sweetness that I could not overlook. It had been painful for me to see him die so quickly, mortal lives flickering out of existence like a candle, while my own may very well last forever.**

**With such fleeting lives, I would have been lonely without my brother by my side.**

**My brother, the immortal king, and I, his Queen."**

* * *

Jon brought a hand up to his head, a flicker of the red-haired figure becoming clearer in his mind. "I don't understand?"

The free folk woman looked uneasily between Sansa and Jon, moving slowly to Rickon's side.

"I know you?" Jon questioned, trying to clear the images from his mind.

Sansa smiled, a tilting of the lips really, but Jon felt as if he'd seen such an expression cross her lips a thousand times.

"You do, or you did,"

Frowning, Jon straightened and tried to will away a headache that had suddenly come from nowhere. "I don't understand what you mean, your not making any sense."

"You never did have a mind for tactics," Sansa said, her eyes roaming over Jon being. "You've not changed at all really, your eyes are still," She paused, head tilting as if trying to find the right word. "So sorrowful."

"Sansa, do you know Jon?" Rickon's innocent voiced questioned and Jon hadn't even noticed that his younger brother had moved to pull at the sleeve of Sansa's shift.

"I did, once, but perhaps he is no longer the man I remember," Sansa said without taking her eyes from Jon, leaving him that much more confused.

Her words were riddles which he could not untangle, her gaze a snare in which he could not escape, her beauty entrapping, his breath struggling to leave his chest.

Another flicker in his mind, this time there was no darkness, this time there was only light, bright sunlight and a field of golden grass that swayed with the wind. Again, he could see the image of the red-haired figure with their back to him, a hand reached out, his hand, but he was too far away and the figure did not turn.

Teeth clenching, he fell to his knees, one hand on the ground keeping him up, the other cupping his head which felt like it would explode.

"Perhaps you should find someone to bring him back inside," Her voice was fading in his ears, as his arm gave way beneath him, and he found himself curling in on himself in the snow.

Forcing his eyes open before the blackness took over his mind, he caught sight of her again, Sansa. She was watching him, eyes empty of emotions and only one thought crossed his mind before he blacked out.

"Why? Why are you alone?"

* * *

**She had been in a dream sleep, listening to the prayers of their people, watching over them through the many eyes of the Gods trees that were spread across the land, when she felt the bond which linked them together snap.**

**Like a mighty crash of thunder, she jolted from her resting place to find Robb gone. Without warning or cause, pain exploded in her chest, bringing her crashing down to the ground. Blood poured from her mouth and eyes, like life itself was trying to flee her body and then cold, coldness unlike she had ever known spread across her skin, stealing with it the warmth of summer, covering the grass in a frosty coating of ice.**

**The blood spilled would later be found by a mortal family who would tell a tale which was false. They would speak of how the queen was stolen from beneath her sacred tree where she lay sleeping, and that the King in a rage had torn his heart from his chest, refusing to live without her.** **If only they knew the truth.**

* * *

"I swore an oath," they are the words that come spilling from his lips as he searches for her in the woods. He had awoken with memories of a life long ago, of a woman with whom he had made a vow to love always.

There is not but stillness in the woods, not even the howling wind which had echoed through the castle can reach this place. She's here, he knows it within his soul that she watches, yet she hides from him, like his love for her had not once, so long ago, thawed her cold exterior.

"I made a vow!"

"So you remember," her voice is soft as she slips from the woods, her appearance has not changed, her eyes as still hauntingly beautiful, her skin still pale and soft, her hair seems brighter then he remembers, but Gods did he miss her while they were parted.

"I swore,"

"I know the vow you made," she cuts him off softly, and he notices the sadness that now lingers in her eyes where once there was a burning brightness. "I would release you from your vow, if only so that you wouldn't suffer like I know you will, but I have need of you and your sword, my love."

He'd discovered long ago how to break down her walls, but somehow this was different. "I can understand why you'd be here, but why are you alone? Where is Robb?" There's a sickening feeling clawing at his chest. "Why did my brother share his face?"

"It wasn't him." Sansa's answer is guarded like she doesn't want him to understand the truth. "They shared a remarkable resemblance, but they were not one and the same. The boy you called brother, who called himself King. He could never be my brother, and he was never my King."

There's so much Jon doesn't know, so much that has still not become clear. His memories are merging together. He is not only the man who had fallen in love with her and lived his life so long ago, he is Jon Snow now too. He has new memories, his body altered and yet the same.

"Sansa, where's Robb?"

"They took him," she utters broken. "They took him from me, and I wasn't capable of saving him." She turns away in shame.

"You brought me back for reason, why?"

"You once swore a vow to me," her voice has taken on a more serious tone. "Before I had your heart, I had your sword. I have need of that blade once more."

At once he is kneeling before her. "I swore an oath, that time nor distance could break."

She is there then, before him, and he hears it, the sound of steel being unsheathed.

"I have kept it with me, close to my heart as you had asked, but you should have it back, for it won't be long until you shall have need of it again."

She had gifted him this blade long ago, a blade that gleamed brightly, for it had been brought to life using the golden blood of the Goddess before him.

No mortal should wield such weaponry, should hold such authority, for this blade could slay a God.


	2. Chapter 2

**_I do not own Game of Thrones_ **

* * *

**In life we have never truly been apart. Even now as we are separated, I cling to that single strand that keeps us together. The time we have spent apart has not changed the value on which our relationship is based upon, you are still and will evermore be, my cherished brother and King.**

**The mortals say that time heals all and makes us forget, but how could I simply forget you?**

**It is not the distance between us that hurts me so, but the endless time which stretches on without me knowing when we can be together again.**

**We made a vow to be together always, and that vow brought me happiness, gave me joy. I was satisfied knowing that my life was complete as long as you remained by my side.**

**You will be free and we will be together again,** **and those who stand in my way shall know the true wrath of a God and will feel just how cruel I can be.**

* * *

"No!"

"Rickon," Jon sighed, glancing to Sansa pleadingly, but she wouldn't even attempt to meet his gaze, her eyes resolutely focused on the water of the springs, viewing past the rippled water to a far off place.

It was a known fact that most mortals could not touch the skin of a God, but the Starks were unusual. Long ago, long before even Jon existed, gifted a sliver of both Robb and Sansa's blood, the Stark's were the favored line of the Gods. A single drop from each of them, to give power to their most loyal followers.

Rickon had grown attached to Sansa, both their souls were entwined through a connection made millenniums ago.

"One day you will reunite with those you have lost, young Stark," Sansa uttered, and Jon watched blankly as she knelt in the snow, her hand softly cupping the youngest Starks cheek with a tenderness Jon had wondered if she was capable of still possessing.

"You'll go away, they all go away." He said stubbornly clinging to her.

Sansa smiled whimsically. "Not all have left you, your wolf still stands by your side, does he not?" as if enticed by her words Shaggydog crept from the trees. "And if you wish it, I will leave a part of me with you,"

Rickon hand tightened, and Jon felt fear of what his brother could do by agreeing to a bargain with a God, even one as fair, as Sansa.

"I do, I wish,"

"Wait!" Jon was quick to stop him, "You can't do this, such magic with a child?"

Sansa's eyes were narrowed, a trace of gold passing through them.

"He is mine to claim." Her words like cutting ice. "Born of my blood, this last child is mine. I will shelter him in any way I see fit."

"But a blood bond, surely not? Rickon is still a child, his body wouldn't be able to withstand it."

Instead of answering Jon's question, she focused solely on Rickon. "Make the wish, and I shall fulfill my end of the bargain." Her words were sweet and seemed to relieve any apprehension Jon's words might have given Rickon.

"I wish you to remain with me," his words were strong, his grip upon Sansa never once faltering. "Always."

"We have an accord," Once again a flickering of golden within her eyes, her teeth changing sharping and lengthening as she smirked and brought her wrist up to her mouth.

Blood pooled upon the snow, tainting it red as it continued to spill. Rickon, to Jon's slight horror, watched the pooling blood slowly slide through the snow with wide, wonder-filled eyes. It was only when both of them realized that the blood in the snow was moving to wrap around Rickon, but also Shaggydog, that the two looked to Sansa, smiling as she raised the now healed hand out in Shaggydogs direction and the other to Rickon.

"As Jon said moments ago, a blood bond at such a young age can have disastrous results, and so the host of my bond shall be split in two, with one whose love for you mirrors my own."

The blood surrounding the Black direwolf slowly climbed his form, melting into the black fur but also tainting a patch upon the beasts back white. It was a mark of one bonded to the Gods, a mark that Jon had carried upon his skin in a previous life, one that he had worn until his dying day. The rest of the blood dragged across Rickon, creeping up his form and beneath his clothes.

"I see the confusion in your eyes, but do not fear," Sansa spoke to Rickon. "With this bond, we three shall be connected. His life will not end as shortly as others of his kind, he shall remain with you until your dying day, and I too shall be with you, bound by the blood spilled here today."

"I feel it," Rickon spoke softly, his hand clutching the clothe above his heart. "I feel Shaggydog, and I feel you?"

"Yes. With this, I shall always watch over you." She laid a hand atop of Rickon's own above his heart, and Jon knew that the mark upon Shaggydog's back, also marred Rickons skin.

A mark which he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

When Rickon's eyes suddenly rolled back into his head, body going lax as Sansa held him, and Shaggydog slumped over, Jon was quick to move to his brother's side, knowing that the magic was taking effect.

"It would be best to keep them together," Sansa said, relinquishing her hold on Rickon as Jon gathered the boy in his arms. Sighing, he looked to the direwolf passed out in the snow, its body moving ever so slightly as it continued to breathe.

It would take more than one man to carry the wolf up to Rickon's room, and as Sansa had stated, it was best to keep the pair together.

"I shall return to speak with you once I have them both settled." He said, shifting Rickon in his arms.

"Yes, there is much to discuss,"

Without breaking stride, Jon couldn't help but wonder what had become of the woman he'd fallen in love with so long ago. And, just where was Robb?

* * *

_"I fell in love with a woman I thought mortal," The frail man rambled from his bed, his skin pale and sweat soaked._

_He was a decrepit old man now, no longer the once strong, admirable man she had once known._

_Only his eyes remained unchanged. His soul still shining through those dark orbs as if time had not stolen his youth from him._

_"She was a goddess in disguise," he rasped, and then his gaze which had been fixated to the ceiling suddenly darted to where Sansa sat at his bedside. "You remind me of her." He said, grinning at her with such mischief._

_Sansa's lips twitched as she reached to take his hand in her own, his hands rough yet lax, his strength having gradually been fading as his time neared._

_His mind seemed to come and go most days, his memory of her fading and yet somehow always present._

_"Will you tell me about her, this woman who so unquestionably has stolen your heart?"_

_"Ah," he sighed so wistfully, his gaze never once leaving her as he squeezed her hand with what little strength he still possessed. "She was, beautiful." He whispered the word as if it were a secret. "Not just her appearance, but her soul. She made me want to be a greater man, but somehow, I doubt I ever truly deserved her love."_

_"Your wrong, you deserved so much more." She said, knowing that the time for the end was nearing._

_"I don't, not when I'm leaving you all alone." He said, and Sansa knew that he had returned to her one last time._

_Smiling, she moved to kneel at his bedside, her face laid upon his chest, holding his hand as she pressed a kiss to his palm._

_"I won't be alone," she thought of Robb, waiting for her outside."And while I don't want you to leave me, I know that this is a path that you have choosen for yourself."_

_"Do you hate me?"_

_"Yes, I hate you for leaving me," she hissed, pulling away so that she could look upon his face. "But, I will always love you."_

_"I love you, Sansa and I do not know if Gods believe in destiny, but I believe I was destined to love you, and if one day, I can return to this land in another life, I swear to love and serve you once again."_

_The light was beginning to fade from his eyes._

_"I will hold you to your vow, my love,"_

_"Sansa," Robb is suddenly there, his hand upon her shoulder._

_She is still clasping his hand, and though his eyes are open, they are empty. His tender gaze has gone, and already she feels the loss of him. She reaches forth to close his eyes and thinks of how he looks so tranquil as if he were merely sleeping._

_"I thought perhaps he would choose to stay by your side," Robb trails off uncertain._

_"He said that to grow old with me by his side was the greatest gift I could give him, and while apart of me wished to deny him, I couldn't." Her hand reached to clutch the clothe above her heart. "I feel as though my heart is broken, and that I might never recover from this pain."_

_"You will," Robb promised, taking her hand in his own, their fingers entwined. "I too have loved and lost many I found dear, but you are my one constant, you are the one person I could not live without."_

_His words were a mirror of her view on him. Had it been Robb who died, who she could no longer see, would she have been able to without hold her tears, would she have been able to stand tall and remember him as she did Jon, the answer was simple. No._

_"But you should never forget him, nor the love you shared."_

_"He will remain within my heart forever, and as long as my blood runs crimson our love shall live on for eternity, our story passed down to those who know what it means to have loved and lost,_ " she spoke, allowing Robb to lead her away.

_Time meant little to an immortal, but she learned to value it in the short time they'd been together. Jon had opened her eyes to a world she had never truly known, and she could finally see that there was beauty in death. To live and die meant you needed to treasure the time you spent together, to waste not a single moment, and while her heart ached, she would remember the time they spent together and how he cherished their life with one another._

* * *

**"I did not choose Robb, it was he who chose me. He plucked me from the stars, a sibling, to remain by his side throughout his eternity.**

**Our land was rich, but our real treasure was our people.**

**When he was taken from me, a part of me was taken with him.**

**A part of me is missing, and I can't fill it. There's this emptiness that won't leave me, and I've tried to make it go away and it won't.**

**The world around me is white and I search for a color to tie us back together.**

**His very being is engraved within my heart, so deep that it hurts.**

**I will never accept that Robb and I can't be together again, for he is and will forever be**

**My brother."**

* * *

The light snow danced as it fell around the boundaries of the woods, yet no snow fell within the Gods wood. It remains calm, peaceful, for the Goddess who dwelled within could not bear the sight of the fragile falling snow. Its beauty was something she could no longer bear to see. All beauty had lost its appeal since she and Robb had been separated.

Love had never come easily to her. It had been Robb who had shown her the beauty of the land they lived upon, how the flowers in bloom could bring a smile to even the poorest woman's lips, how the wild grass become a hidden kingdom to the children no matter their title and how when the wind sweep a woman's hair up a man's breath could catch as if the Gods themselves had graced them with their presence.

And Jon, Sansa could not have loved him if not for Robb.

"The people of this era fear me," Sansa voiced as she felt more the heard Jon come to a halt behind her.

"They don't know you like I do."

"You think you know me?" She refused to face him. "The person you knew did not know what sacrifice meant, you have no idea of the trails I have gone through to see myself to this day."

The soft crunch of snow alerted her to him moving closer again. "Then tell me," he stopped again, a hairs breath away from her back. "Once, you would tell me all the troubles the world laid upon your shoulder. I'm still that man, the man you love."

"I do not love you," She spat, spinning so that they were barely touching. as they faced on another "I love nothing, no one, there is only Robb, there is no room in my heart for another."

Jon's dark eyes widen, hurt flashing across his feathers as his hot breath rose between them. "I don't believe you." He said, eyes narrowing and fists clenching. "I know there is a place for me in your heart, and maybe you've locked it away, but it's still there."

Sansa's own eyes flashed, rage glimmering gold and then she did something that surprised Jon, she reached out to cup his cheek. "You loved me when you thought me mortal, and loved me still as God, but can you love me now, when I'm not but a monster?"

"Your not a monster,"

"I am," she cut him off. "I did something unforgivable. I tried to pull his soul from within that," she turned away, her hand leaving behind a coldness. "That thing that he's become, but I failed. I thought that I could free him, allow him to live a short mortal life instead of suffering like he has done since they bound him in that form."

"Robb, my brother," Jon said understanding.

"I thought I had done it, but I failed him." Sansa's whispered words priced through Jon's heart. He knew loss, he knew suffering but maybe he could never know it on the same level as Sansa.

To live an immortal life, with someone who you thought would always be by your side, only to have them ripped away. She must have suffered all alone, for so long. Sansa wasn't lying when she called herself a monster, she truly believed herself to be one, but the true monster was those who had torn apart two beings who were never meant to know what it was like to live without the other.

"Did you bring me back?" He couldn't help but ask, but part of him already knew the answer.

"No, for decades I waited patiently for you to come back to me, Robb assuring me that you would, but over time I began to lose hope. I fell into a sleep, but when I awoke Robb had been taken and was far from my reach."

"This is not what he would want for you, your killing yourself."

Sansa laughed bitterly. "Do you think my own life is more important than his? He is my life, without him I'm already dead."

Suddenly it was all becoming clear, the sword, her words to him. "You would have me watch you die?"

"I would have you save the world."

"This is not what I wanted," Jon said brokenly as he caught a wisp of her red hair in his hand. "The life I promised you, this isn't it."

"It's cruel, that it should be you, but no one knows when their time is up. Death comes for us all, its what makes life worth living." Words spoken so softly were meant to bring him comfort, but only brought with them pain.

"You were never meant to die, you and Robb are supposed to be together forever, like you always said,"

"I have lived most my life with Robb by my side. I would gladly die to free him."

Jon couldn't bear to hear any more.

"And me? What of the pain you'd burden me with from your death or Robb? Do you think he would live in a world without you?" He roared, trying to make her see how wrong she was. "You don't seem to have realized this yet, but we love you."

His fingers were clutching her head, staring at her, as if she were his world.

"Is my life worth all those you've come to care for? Are you willing to sacrifice your brother and your family, those who still walk this earth?" She knew the pain she causing him, but there was no other way.

"I can't," Jon pleaded, tears brimming in his eyes. "I can't,"

"You can," She whispered soothingly, gathering him her arms and cradling him against her chest as they fell to their knee's in the snow. "The 'Children' were cruel to do such a thing to Robb, but you would do us both the greatest kindness by fulfilling my wish."

"If I do, there's no coming back, is there?" He asked, tears soaking her shift and tearing at her soul.

There were no words she could give that would ease his pain.

Breathing, she looked to the stars. They were still as beautiful as the first time Robb showed them to her. Once, she had merely been a star, waiting to fall so that she might live, but all stars faded.


	3. Chapter 3

**_I do not own Game of Thrones_ **

* * *

**"I'm not ready to die, but this is my choice.**

**Every life is precious and foolish though it may seem, I am afraid of a life without you.**

**If it seems like everything** **is lost, remember you caught a shooting star and that I shared everything with you.**

**So if you love me, really love me, you will live and remember each embrace, each smile, for even if we have to say goodbye, in my heart you will stay.**

**And perhaps one day, love will reunite us again."**

* * *

To die is an unknown adventure. To go freely into the arms of death knowing that you know nothing of what awaits takes unimaginable courage, but she had lived looking back at the past for far too long and now, she needed to look to the future. Even if that future was one which didn't include her.

"Robb," she said placing her hand on the tree bark, hoping that somehow he could hear her. "The world has changed. These people, our people, have suffered and lost much since you left us. There are some who would lay the burden of their suffering upon your shoulders, but you have done nothing wrong."

The wind howled above, the moon was hidden behind darkening clouds, but the stars shone brightly from where they appeared.

"The crimes are not yours to bear, they belong to those who have long since left this earth, and had they returned," her fists clenched, nails leaving bloody marks upon her pale skin and traces of blood upon the ground. "I would have done unspeakable things, that even you would look away from me in shame, but alas, they evade me still."

The unmistakable shifting of snow announced the arrival of a friend. Rudy colored eyes glowing in the dark as he prowled forward, his jaw slack and tongue hanging as he pressed his head into her waiting hands.

"My sweet silent wolf, you've come to me."

The humans of today believed that the Old Gods took either a human form or dwelled within the Gods tree, but there was a reason House Stark took the Direwolf as the sigil of their House.

Long ago, long before they walked among the people, it was the frost in which they ran, wild and free, true to nothing but nature. They would eagerly race one another, the wolves worshiping them as there alpha's long before the people ever considered them Gods.

Hands softly titled his head so that their eyes might meet. "What secrets do you carry for me, silent one?"

Eyes shifting from blue to gold, she peered into his mind, watching as images flashed.

Jon, children playing, Winterfell at its full glory, so much did he wish to show her but there was little time left, and so she urged him to show what she sought most.

Snow and ice, dead men walking, and there, a mere flicker, Robb.

She pulled away at once, the image burning her.

His once soft skin was layered over by ice, his soft waves of Red hair were gone and his once beautiful eyes had stared back at her with such emptiness.

The white wolf nuzzled her hand, clearly seeking to offer her comfort, but what comfort could anyone offer her. Her poor brother, trapped in that in that single form, bound by fire made ice.

She cursed the day the dragons had flown across the sea. They had driven them back with their own dragons made of ice, but the battle had marked the land, leaving behind remnants of the clash between fire and ice. It was such a remnant that they had plunged into Robb's heart to change him so.

"I should have known I would find him here, with you." Jon's said casually walking towards her, his cloak tight around his board form.

She doesn't want him here, she wants to have this moment of weakness alone.

No tears will fall, but the pain burns deep within her heart and no one else can understand the pain she feels, but this pain is also a gift.

"What is it your doing exactly?" He treads closer, his eyes dark as they peer between her and the wolf he calls his own.

There isn't a reason to tell Jon of the plans that take fold in her mind, nor the bond that she shares with the wolves and yet she feels like she owes him some small amount of honestly.

"I was merely greeting a friend," she tells, threading her fingers through the soft white fur. "Though his name I'm not quite sure."

His smiles are something quite sweet to behold. "Ghost, his name is Ghost."

The white Direwolf is not nearly as big as the one who accompanies Rickon wherever he goes, but his ruby eyes surely contain a wisdom that the Black Direwolf does not possess. Where Shaggydogs green gaze holds a feral rage to it, fuelled by the boy with whom he's bonded to, Ghost portrays very little of Jon. He is quiet and wise beyond the years he has lived, he follows Jon not because they are bonded, but because he sees someone which he can depend upon. It said a lot about Jon's character that such a majestic beast would choose to ally himself with a mere human without any magical bonds to tie them together.

The kinship between the two is almost like a single thread of twine, whereas Rickon and Shaggydogs link could be described as the origins of the Gods trees roots, deep and unravelable.

"It's unusual for him to take a fondness to strangers." Jon offered, seemly curious to how she'd managed to gain the approval of his white companion.

Sansa crooned, stroking the wolf who continued to beg for her attention.

"You know me well, Jon, but perhaps there is more to me then you know." He seemed slighted by her words. "I lived long before you came into my world, there is much of my life not even you know. "

"And I thought I knew you best,"

"I am a God." She smiled, her eyes staying locked with the ruby gaze of Ghost. "It is not within your power to truly know who and what I am. I was foolish to allow you to believe otherwise."

Jon stepped forward a snarl leaving his lips. "Is it not enough that I will fulfill my vow, that you must mock the love I so deeply gave to you a lifetime ago. The love I still feel for you now, that shall I freely offer to you forever?" He fell short as his hand reached to touch her. "Do you still love me?"

"All I know is that our love was not strong enough before, and I want to believe in more than you and me." She had been alone for so long, that even now when she had others she still felt unbelievably alone. "I've walked across this land. My own people seeing right through me, and I've never felt more like an outsider. I opened my heart to you once, Jon, and I accepted that you would not be by my side for a long time, but I grew tired while waiting for you."

His eyes seemed to grow weary with each word, and by the time she had finished, she watched as the man before her broke with only words of truth.

Swallowing, he seemed to rein in his emotions. "If I could," he began, reaching out to cup her cup like he'd wanted to do moments ago, and before he could continue she pulled his hand into hers.

Pressing a kiss to the cold skin she gazed into his dark eyes. "The past can not be undone and my future is set, but," she paused, now finding herself to be the one unsure. "For all the anger I have carried within me at you, I would have my last days spent with someone who at least knows my name."

The confusion within his eyes seemed almost beseeching. "You didn't answer my question."

It was odd. To see this strong-willed man who had captured her heart look so vulnerable.

"I do love you, but I love Robb more."

He swallowed, gave a nod of acknowledgment and then turned without a word, retreating back towards the castle.

Ghost, who had remained by her side nudged her hand once again.

Without question, she resumed her petting, idly wondering if her answer was what he truly wanted to hear.

* * *

**I would wait a million years if I thought you would come back to me.**

**I would search the stars over and over if I thought that was where you hid.**

**I would do anything to have you back,**

**but,**

**for you to be free,**

**I must stop waiting.**

**I must give up the search,**

**and,**

**I have to live knowing that there will never be a day when we can be together again.**

* * *

"The world is a glorious place filled with much to see and yet, so many will never have the chance that you will," Sansa whispers, fingers gently running through Rickon's thick red curls.

Although the boy had been told numerous times that he was to sleep within the castle walls, no one could ever seem to stop him and each night he would lay next to Sansa, the two curled around one another alongside the large Black Direwolf. The snow covering the ground would melt as Rickon's footsteps neared, to be replaced by lush green grass. The cold wind would vanish to be replaced by a warmth that encased them as they slept.

"Do you intend to tell him?" The free folk woman hovered nearby but did not intrude upon their circle.

She did not need to open her eyes to feel the shiver run up the woman's spine from the cold blistering wind that circled outside her doom. As a courtesy to Rickon, she allowed her magic to drift to the woman, encircling her and heard the sigh of content.

Eyes saying firmly shut, she answered while tightening her grip upon the smaller body that clung to her. "I hate that he has suffered, that I could not shield him from his pain, but my death will mean that he and many others will live to see another day."

"He won't see it that way."

Eyes drifting open, she watched the snow melt as it hit the invisible doom surrounding them. "All men die. It is something Rickon knows well."

"Yes." The woman agreed. "The little Lord knows death more intimately than most, but your not a man, your not a woman, your God. Surely,"

"I realized long ago that to save my brother's life, I must sacrifice my own." She paused so that she could look at Rickon's soft features, which have slowly been changing as he grows more and more into a man. "My life means so little when compared to those who will one day be born."

"He won't forgive you."

Sansa smiled sadly, knowing that the words spoken were true. Rickon would never forgive her for what she was going to do, but there was no other way.

"I shall never know the loving embrace of a Mother, nor the tenderness of a Father's hand holding my own. I will never have children, nor any family other than Robb to call my own, but Rickon is the last who carries my blood. I would protect him, even at the cost of my life."

"You are the reason he lives. He sees you like family, would you make him mourn you?"

"I mourn my brother each day," Sansa said softly as Rickon stirred slightly. "I mourn those slain by his deeds, deeds he commits yet aren't his own." She turned slightly so that their eyes could meet. "Tell me, would you not have done anything to protect this child, to protect the man who once stole your heart, if I offered you the chance, tell me, truthfully, that you would not slay me here and now to protect those that you love."

Osha seemed taken back by Sansa words.

"I suppose there is no point in lying to someone who can see the truth," Osha said, grinning tauntingly. "I would slay you, and probably thy entire world if I thought it might protect them.

Content with the answer, Sansa settle back into her original position, nesting close to Rickon and allowing her eyes to drift shut.

* * *

**"I have lived a long life,**

**filled with adventure, joy, and happiness,**

**but I have lived this all with you by my side.**

**Without you, the world is a dark, dull place.**

**Please, come back to me."**

* * *

Sansa doesn't mean to fall in love, not the same kind of love she'd shared with Jon, but the love one feels for someone whom they come to consider family.

Rickon, tall and gangly-limbed, has somehow pierced her heart. He brings her joy with mischief he so often finds himself in, and makes her laugh with his tales of adventure. He is a marvel to Sansa, whose days were dark and daunting before he came into her life.

There was a time where she blamed the humans for Robb being taken, for their greed, for it was them ultimately who forced the children to react the way they did, but Robb had loved them. How could she turn her back on those Robb had cared for so deeply? In the end, she couldn't, instead, she simply lingered where they could not reach her.

Somehow or other, Rickon's voice had reached her. Deep within the void space where she had choosen to hide, his voice had called so clearly, his blood ringing with the echo of promises made what felt a lifetime ago. He'd known her name, called to her so desperately that she hadn't been able to refuse his call.

She had been so unsure upon getting her first glimpse of him. Tried and dirty from the journey, covered in raggy furs that were covered over by a layer of ice, she had almost turned her back on him, but, she saw something in his gaze as he continued to shout her name.

"Rickon," she called to lure him closer from where he stood, watching in fascination as the snow froze over her dome, concealing them from view. "My brother is going to return home, here to Winterfell. I," she couldn't bear to tell him that she would not be here when Robb did return. "I would ask that you be his friend, as you have been mine."

"Do you think Bran will return in time to meet your brother?" He asked, circling close to her, while at the same time starting a game with Shaggydog.

Rickon knew that Sansa and Bran were communicating through the HeartTree, but he hadn't asked about his brother since they'd brought Bran up to Jon upon his return to Winterfell.

"Rickon, what will you do if Bran doesn't return? What if his place is in the land far North? Would you miss him?"

"I, "Rickon stopped chasing Shaggydog, turning to face Sansa with a seriousness that she had never seen reflected in his eyes before. "I would miss him, but, I wouldn't be lonely. I have Shaggydog and Osha, and I have you."

Had she any tears left to shed, she might have cried at his answer.

"To believe," she told to him with a grin. "Is the greatest power a person can have." She walked forward till they were inches apart and he needed to tilt his head to keep her gaze. "Don't give up on your brother. He'll find his way home one day."

Grinning, Rickon hugged her so suddenly that she was forced a step back. "I'll be here with you when your brother comes back and you'll be here with me when mine does too."

Swallowing, she embraced the youth before her. "Of course."

`"He won't forgive you."' Osha's words from the night before seemed to haunt her, but she'd come to forsake her plans, to forsake Robb.

Shaggydog, not one to be left out pouched upon them and with a laugh Sansa allowed herself and Rickon to tumble to the ground, where the large Direwolf could lick them to his heart content.

These where moments she would treasure. She had never imagined that one day she would smile again, but Rickon, and by extension Shaggydog, made her feel young again. They made her see what it was that they had loved about the humans that she and Robb had brought under their protection.

The very thought of Robb which had once brought her pain and misery, now brought with it visions of the happiness he could find here when he was set free. Rickon, who brought her joy would one day do the same for Robb.

The mere idea was what kept her going, the longing that one day it would come true and although the moments felt so slow, it was a dream she would have come true in the future.

Rickon would remember her in these moments and would pass on to Robb how her final days were not ones of sadness, but ones filled with laughter. He would miss her, she knew but felt in her heart that someday they would meet again.

He'd grow, and the pain he felt at her loss would slowly fade to a dull ache.

As they settled upon the warm grass, a wave of relief came over Sansa.

She loved Rickon, but she could not stay, she loved Robb to much, but Robb would be there for Rickon when Sansa could not, and he, in turn, would be there for Robb.

Death did not seem so frighting when she knew that both Robb and Rickon would have each other, and as she listened to Rickon's breath slow with a gentle sigh, she knew that she would do anything within her power to have her dream realized.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I do not own Game of Thrones** _

* * *

**"Our love was a promise.**

**It was unconditional.**

**There are those who don't understand.**

**I was all you ever asked for and you were all I ever needed.**

**From the moment I opened my eyes, you were my world, and I saw it in your eyes that I was your world too. "**

* * *

It was a kindness to keep Rickon close. The cold, icy breeze had slithered its way within the castle walls, and even those who stood wrapped in layers and stood by the fire felt its gripping icy death call to them.

Within the dome, Rickon was safe, warm and knew not of the troubles others even younger then himself faced. It wasn't just her protecting him, but the blood passed down to him from generations passed. The food she offered could not be consumed by any other, for it came from the soul realm.

A mirror realm which the gods choose to reside. The food was poisonous to mortals, but Rickon wasn't pure mortal, and Jon, though he came from the same blood-line, had been tainted with the blood of a foreign land, and so could not savour the food Rickon so gladly gave to him.

If the food should pass his lips, it would turn to ask, burning him for the crime of stealing from the Gods. Rickon, of course, had no knowledge of this and shared all with the man he presumed to be his brother.

Jon wouldn't dare tell him the truth. Rickon was all he had left of his childhood, the only family he had who he considered a sibling.

Sansa could understand his willingness to protect Rickon from the truth, she too was protecting him from a truth of her own.

Her time to depart grew closer with each passing day. Robb's connection to her pulsing like a heartbeat within her ears no longer let up. It was a constant. Growing louder as he pushed his army towards Winterfell, and ultimately towards her.

"Sansa,"

She knew he'd come, his time for avoiding her has come to an end and if he is to fulfill his vow, then he must stand with her as they go to war.

"Have you come to bargain with me again?" She asked, amused that Jon would think that he could change her mind. It was he, after all, who had told her she was the most stubborn of women.

"I never should have left you," Sansa sighed, immediately knowing where he was taking this conversation.

Bowing her head, she searched within herself for the right words, because nothing so far had discouraged Jon from trying to save her.

"I have been happy since Rickon found me. I must confess my strength and spirits have been renewed. I am surrounded by those who love me, and nothing could make me happier. I only wish you would accept my fate and just enjoy the time we have left."

There is longing in his eyes. Once, Jon had been her hero, but those days had long since passed and it was she who was the hero of her own life, her own story.

It was Sansa who would risk everything to save Robb, because Robb was her brother, and had it been the other way around, he would have done the same for her.

"I don't know what tomorrow brings, but I know you," she reached to curl her hands around his cloak. "Your brave and honourable, but I will not have you follow me to my death."

"I am the master of my fate." He spoke with such conviction and Sansa knew that she'd not change his mind, the same as how he couldn't change her own.

"I've not forgotten how stubborn you can be, but the world has need of you yet, Jon." She couldn't help but smile, because Jon would do as she said, he would not allow Rickon to suffer the same pain she had been forced to feel for so long.

She would not allow him to carry the same regret as her own, and for Rickon, who she held dear in her heart. She would make it so that his brother would return to him when she could not.

* * *

**"Robb, you gave me the world.**

**I cannot put into words how special you've made me feel,**

**nor how happy I am knowing that you are my brother.**

**I suppose, in the end,**

**I hope that's what you remember of me.**

**How you made me happy, how you made me smile,**

**and above all,**

**how you made me feel loved."**

* * *

Immortality might seem a gift to some, but after a time it becomes a curse. For those who get the remain together with those that they love, there is no greater wish, but for those who are separated, it's their greatest fear. When Robb had been by her side, it was the greatest of gifts, but with them apart from one another, it's been but a curse upon her soul.

While the burden upon her heart is heavy, Rickon eases her pain slightly. She spends her time watching him play, seeing within him the boy who has too quickly grown into a man.

The wall had fallen not so long ago, and while Rickon plays here within her sight, safe from harm, the same cannot be said for the many others who are dying at the hands of her brother. She knows that Jon intends to leave with his army, has plans that he thinks she knows nothing of, but Ghost has become her eyes and ears, and even without the great white wolf, she knows Jon better then he knows himself.

"I shall leave this place soon."

"I suppose you shall miss it then," Osha says, and Sansa smiled because the free folk woman had kindled an unlikely friendship with herself.

"This has been my home since I first opened my eyes," Sansa begun, recalling memories of times long since passed. "I took my first steps here, twas here I met my brother, and where I slowly began to fall in love with Jon. It was also where I slept when my brother was taken, and where Rickon pulled me from my sleep." They shared a smile, for Rickon bound them together.

Right now, Rickon was with Jon. They would need this time together and while Sansa wanted nothing more than to spend what little time she had left with the boy, she could not allow herself to any more selfish then she was already being.

"If it shall ease your mind any, should I survive the battle, I shall watch over the little Lord till my dying breath," Osha said, seemly out of character for the unusually detached woman.

Sansa hummed, gliding towards the water's edge. "I had a dream. Of a land void of life. I dreamt that Robb was stood beneath a frozen sun and me beneath a wintery moon. I followed his voice thinking it would lead me home, but there was nothing awaiting me but death. I searched for the longest time until a voice called to me. It said my name, and when at last I opened my eyes, Rickon stood before me." Stepping upon the water, she watched the water ripple beneath her bare feet as she came to a stop in the center of the pond. "I ask not that you give your life, but that you live."

"I can not promise such a thing, for I intend to fight by your side," Osha said with conviction.

Sansa grinned, a smile full of glinting teeth. "I have no doubt that you are worthy of the title warrior, but I have need of you here, should I fail in freeing my brother."

"And, who is that will fight by your side," Osha asked, teeth showing in a sneer. "Your once love intends to leave you behind."

"I need neither Jon nor his army."

There was barely a whisper within the Gods wood, yet Osha would swear she heard the roar of men reading for battle.

"I have one of my own."

* * *

" **Each leaf upon the Gods Tree carries within it the memories of Starks long since passed and even those of present.**

**Each leaf is tied to another by the branches which stretch high, and the truck which had thickened in time and the roots, which continue to give it life.**

**If I close my eyes, I can recall these memories,**

**see those I cherished safe and sound."**

* * *

The days passed like a stone skipping across water. Rare was it that the Northmen did not grace the Gods woods, their words reached her ears. She never allowed any other than those from the North to see her form. The North was hers to love and cherish.

Once, their reach had been the length of the land, but with time there came new Gods, and she and Robb were abandoned, save for those of the North who never forgot.

The southerners who did reside Winterfell had been graced with her presence just once, but it had been one too many times for Sansa. They watched as one would a god, with eyes filled with lust, envy, anger, and hope. They saw in her what she could become, like Robb the Gods could be changed.

The time of war was upon them so it was no surprise to Sansa that Jon would seek her out one last time.

With the moon high and many of the castle occupants asleep, it was the perfect time to seek her out.

"You've got that look in your eyes," he spoke as if they had naught been having a disagreement. "And you still lick your lips like a hungry wolf who knows their prey is within reach. It seems that while I have changed a great deal, you have remained as you always have."

Such sweet words once made her heart race, made her feel almost mortal. Jon words now brought with them no such joy, they gave little but the reminder that her love for him had been what brought about Robb's ruin.

"Did such sweet words fall from your lips as you lay with your lover?"

It was not said to be cruel, but if Jon's eyes were to give away his emotions then this what he thought her to be.

"I have loved none as I love you." He sounded desperate as if he knew that she no longer felt for him what he still felt for her.

"You loved another, and I don't hold that against you, but it means that you can love someone other than me. You can be happy with someone else after I'm gone."

"Never," Jon hissed. "How can you ask that of me, can you not understand the pain I feel? Can you not see that the vow I swore is slowly killing me?"

"Pain." She released a hollow laugh. "You don't understand my pain." She screamed, and there was such pain in her voice that Jon couldn't reply. "How could you? You left me behind, like some widowed bride. I wanted to die. I wanted my pain to be over, but I couldn't die." Golden eyes burning with pain, sorrow, and anger. "I couldn't die, not because I'm immortal, but because Robb because he loved me more than you." She was breaking, tears spilling down her cheeks and Jon couldn't help her. "I loved you, and because I loved you my brother got hurt. He was taken from me and I have nothing left. You speak to me of your pain, but what of mine? Do you understand my suffering?"

The echoing silence was all the answer she needed to tell her what she needed to know. With a shuddering breath she looked away, she would not allow Jon to see her at her weakest.

"Please, just leave me alone."

She chooses to ignore him as he steps closer, or at least she tried too, but his next words bring amount something ugly in her.

"I can't walk away, not a second time."

Taking a breath, she turned to face him, her cheeks stain in tears, but her eyes were clear.

"You died, Jon." An owl screeched in the distance, the only other sound besides their breathing. "And as much as I loved you, I grieved and then I let you go."

"But you waited,"

"Yes." She agreed because it was a sad fact, but she had waited. "You told me you loved me and then you left me."

His lips part, then closed, his mind trying to conjure the words needed to right the wrong he'd made.

"If I am to save Robb, then I must let you go." Unconsciously, she has allowed the barrier to slip away, and the pair is slowly being covered in a layer of snow. The snow cast Jon a pale white in the moonlight, and had she not already been in love with him once, then the sight of him upright before her now might have made her love him today.

"Jon," Her lips were robbed. Although the touch was faint, she could feel his heat, the mere touch reminding her of why it was that she loved Jon kissing her.

Jon eventually retracted his lips, pressing his forehead to hers so that they had no choice but to stare into the others gaze.

"I've stood by and watched silently as you sacrificed your own happiness, I can't stand by and watch you do it again." His breath was warm against her face, but words made no sense. "If Robb, if he were here, he'd want me to do this,"

Before she could fully comprehend the meaning behind his words, a dagger was thrust into her side stealing her breath. Her breath hitched, eyes widening in betrayal. She looked at the dagger, then back at Jon as she felt herself grow weak.

"How?" She wheezed, as Jon lay her down at the base of the heary tree.

"I melted down some of the God's sword to create a dagger," Jon explained as he brushed her hair away from her face with tender hands. "It won't kill you, but you'll be unable to move." He paused, his eyes darkening as they met hers. "And you won't be able to join the fight."

The realization of his betrayal was far worse then she could have ever imagined.

"Robb," The name of her brother was all that could pass her lips.

Jon looked away, his fist clenching. "I'll be sure to make it quick, he won't suffer."

When he stood, a strangled sound escaped her lips, but Jon ignored it.

He turned his back on her back, black cloak dragging behind him as he retreated without a second glance back. She watched him go, never once allowing her gaze to leave him least her anger fade away to pain.

The snow collected upon her was cold, a blanket she assumed many would connect with death, but the snow did little else then cocoon her in its icy grip. It did not bring death, though death would be welcome if Robb was to leave this land. The dagger would not be enough to release from her Godhood, and without the sword, she would be forever bound to walk the land, alone.

Her gaze began to fade the longer the dagger remained, and with it, sleep once more called to her. The tree's offered her safety, they whispered to her in a langue so long forgotten that she felt a whisper of the past call to her in their voice. Robb, he waited in the past, perhaps she might see him again in her dreams, maybe she need not wake again.

The fading moon, the rising sun, they all seemed so far away as the tree pulled her further in, slowly she was fading, her body morphing with the tree as she had done when first she slept so long ago.

"I don't want you to go. You're not supposed to leave me behind, you're supposed to stay here, with me." The words were hazy, her mind did not fully comprehend what was being said, but the weight against her chest was real.

"You can't have her." Something was pulling her, and the voice, she knew that voice. "Give her back."

"You must wake up," Another voice, scratchy yet firm.

"Sansa!"

Eyes fluttering, she studied the worried faces of Rickon and Osha. Rickon, panic-stricken and holding onto her so tightly, and Osha, face full of fury as she too grips Sansa's hand.

"You must fight, for your brother." The words, such simple words renew her strength.

"The dagger," The pained whispered managed to pass her lips.

She watched as eye's glinting with a hit of madness rolled over her being, searching for the object until at last it was found. Sansa knew Osha cold not do, but words failed her now as her body sunk another inch into the tree's base.

When the free woman gripped the handle, she let out a hollow scream as the hilt scorched her skin, the imprint steaming as she gripped her wounded hand close. Still, she eyes the dagger with contempt, an unwillingness to simply give up.

"It must be you, Little Lord," Osha said, gripping Rickon's shoulder with her uninjured hand. "You carry Gods blood. If no mere mortal can pull the dagger, then only a being with such blood as yourself can," she looked to Sansa to confirm her words.

Sansa managed to tilt her lips in a weary smile, it was all the encouragement Rickon needed to release his hold upon her. His hand upon the dagger brought with it surging pain, which quickly lessened as it was pulled free and tossed aside.

Sansa barely takes a moment to breathe and rip herself from the Tree's embrace before she's grabbing Rickon by the shoulders to pull him down into her embrace. She holds him tight, unwilling to let go just yet because once again this young boy has saved her.

"Sansa?" The boy looked scared, his eyes blown wide.

The heartbeat which constantly follows her is roaring in her ears. He is close, enough that she can feel the essences of his power against her skin.

"My sweet Rickon, my summer child." She paused so that she could cup his face, feel the warmth beneath his skin. "I love you, dearly, and I would give to you a piece of my heart if I thought I could stay with you always, but you already hold my blood, and it is that which shall connect us together for all times."

Understanding bloomed across his face, followed quickly by desperation and despair. "No," Osha understanding moves to grab him, but Rickon won't be moved. "You can't go."

This boy, on the verge of becoming a man, was the first Sansa had truly loved within her heart since Robb was taken. She could never have imagined that she would love another again, but here he was, pleading with her to stay.

"Thank you for loving me." She pulls herself from his grip, a dome separating them and locking Rickon away least he tries to follow her.

"Sansa! Sansa, don't go, come back." He screams for her, his calls echoing even as she walks further away.

Shaggydog waits at the entrance to the forest, his body tense relaxes under Sansa's gentle hand. "You'll be there for him when I am not, and you'll carry my message to Robb." He wines low, tongue licking her fingertips as she pulls away.

Whether Jon knows it or not, he will fulfill his vow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sansa**

**"The world was once a beautiful place, but I didn't need the world. The land now known as the North was all that I needed. It held wonder, magic, and life, where would I be if not here, for this was where Robb was and he was my world, my whole world."**

* * *

 

The day Robb was stolen from her, is a day she can't recall well. There was bitter rage that burned within her, a violence that wanted to be unleashed, but she needed to go beyond that pain, least she never return, and so she went to sleep, in the hopes that her despair would wilt, that the love and wisdom she once carried might return, for the people of her country, for those who still looked to her as a beckon.

There was a desire to turn her back on them all, to allow her heart to fester with hatred, but that begged the question of whether she was any better than those that had taken Robb.

It was hard to visualize her life without Robb. He had permanently been a fixture in her life since she had opened her eyes, and selfishly she wanted it to stay that way.

Without her notice, it had begun to snow, the snowflakes leaving kisses upon her skin as if whispering to her that it was alright to sleep.

Looking back at distant memories she knew the trees had a level of self-awareness, they were connected to both Robb and her, so it was no surprise when they whispered to her.

"Sleep, and we shall keep you safe. Sleep, and know that we shall watch over all in your absence."

The lulling voice had claimed her, and she had willingly fallen into the warm embrace it had offered.

There were, of course, times when the call of those that carried her blood would rouse her from her slumber, asking, begging for her help, and in those times, she would freely give what they asked while also slipping back into the dark.

There had been no one strong enough to fully arouse her from her slumber, or so she had thought until the boy's voice had called to her so strongly.

His voice alone had sent shockwaves through her body, her mind floating in a mist had looked through the eyes of the trees to his form, small and slim, but with a blase of courage burning in his eyes as he shouted for her to appear, to save his brother.

It wasn't his words alone that fully tore her from the Tree's steady grip, but the strength in his shoulders, the courage burning in his eyes, the loyalty in his heart, all combined with the blood he housed from a vow made eons ago, Rickon's cry for help was so powerful that her body was forcefully pulled from its resting place.

Although she knew death awaited her, she felt no fear. It was her own decision to die, not that Jon nor Rickon could understand, but for all the people who came in and out of her life, who died and left, it was Robb who stayed.

It was stupid of her to try to explain to them her reasoning because they themselves were doing the exact same thing for her as she was for Robb, but of the two, it would be she who would succeed, but not alone.

The crypts beneath Winterfell are sacred ground, consecrated by both herself and Robb. The footsteps of those long since passed can be heard echoing through the tunnels as if the dead don't understand that they are no longer bound to the land of the living, but they are tethered here for a reason because even in death they are sworn to the Gods.

They wait, and they listen, hoping for the day they are needed.

There is a reason those who don't carry Stark blood are forbidden from entering the crypts, they say that if one stays too long beneath the winter castle that lingering ghosts shall slip fort. Men have been known to go mad, as is the faith of those who dare to trespass on the ground which the Gods have blessed.

She feels tried, her mind weary, but her tears had long since run dry and she had none left to shed. Her dress, once pure white is stained red on one side, the end pulling along the stone steps turn grey as the wet clothe drags along behind her with each aching step.

The first statue to greet her was not the one she sought, the person she wanted to see more than anything had come long before Bran the Builder. He was the first to be named Stark, the person Robb had seen promise in, the first other then Robb to earn her trust.

It is a raw feeling that pulls her into the darkness, twisting through the tunnels, pushing away the stone and rocks which have sealed closed the passages of ancient times. There is regret with each step, for these are people she knew, people whom she sang and danced with, back when the troubles of the outside world seemed so far away.

There are whispers all around, they call for her, whisper that they are ready, but there is only one she shall ask, for he was the first to make the vow, and so it is on his word that they shall rise again.

It is no surprise that the darkness slowly fades to light as she nears him, his stone features as familiar as the sun in the sky, and the flames which give light only gained strength as she nears.

She breathes a shallow breath as she regains her strength.

He is waiting it seems, the phantom of the man she once knew, his lips firm, his eyes shadowed by the wisps of dark hair that fell in his eyes.

"Orik," she breathes.

"You came," he says softly, as though he thought that maybe she wouldn't.

"Always." She answers, saddens by his response.

There is a clanking of amour in the distance, the sound blades being drawn before it fades and only she and he remain.

Orik had been just a boy when they first met, small with such expressive eyes, and such a warm and kind heart. She had been the one to first take notice of him, the boy who though weak himself fought for those weaker and challenged any power who stood before him

He'd brought her flowers, and had become fierce friends with Robb, he'd also twirled her around a blazing fire when other men feared Robb's wrath too much to ask her to dance, and presented his first child to Robb, asking that his friend hold her and see her before any other.

"You already know why I've come," she couldn't bear to say it to any other, but here, with him, the words fell seamlessly from her lips. "Robb gave me the world, and I've repaid him by being a coward, hiding away in my dreams. My mistake was thinking I could it alone."

"You're not alone, not anymore."

* * *

**Jon**

**"You used to dance, and I would watch you and think,**

**that nothing else in this world could make my heart race as you did.**

**You would smile at me as you twirled by,**

**and I knew that I was just one of the men who loved you,**

**but I couldn't help but wish that you'd love me back."**

* * *

The air leaves a chill in his chest with every breath, ice coats his lashes, and while his body feels like death, it's his heart which hurts most.

Jon has known betrayal before, and yet what he has done feels so much more than the one word can describe.

Sansa had always brought out the good in him, she made his soul feel light and content. He had evolved into a better man by being in both her and Robbs company, and yet to repay the debt he owned to Robb, he was betraying the one person who he truly loved in this world.

For all Sansa might be his once and always love, Robb, was his brother in more ways than not. They had once discussed the possibility of whose life was more important if it ever came to Sansa or Robb dying, and Robb had been adamant that he would never allow Sansa to sacrifice herself for him.

Jon had wanted to be thankful of the fact that it would be Robb who died over Sansa. He wanted to be filled with joy at the thought of his lady love being able to live on even after her beloved brother had passed but couldn't.

Robb held a part of Sansa that Jon would never lay claim too. A piece of her soul that none but Robb could ever hold within his grasp and Jon couldn't help but wonder if that one price of her brother that Sansa clung too, would be her very undoing if her brother was to ever fall.

Loath was he to believe that Robb would ever fall, for it was a grave day when a God fell.

It was a chilling thought, and yet it had been Robb who had broached the subject to him.

"If it ever came down to it, I trust you to kill me." Robb had spoken with a compelling tone. Completely sure that Jon would deliver the blow which would end his life.

It had been this request which had unquestionably been what drove him to live a tranquil, worthwhile, mortal life.

His desire to live out his life with Sansa had been crushed under the dismay, that should anything ever happen that it would be Jon who had to end Robb's life, and most likely Sansa's because Jon knew that she would never entirely recover from the loss of losing her brother.

Disheartened and filled with sorrow she would likely never look at Jon with such a loving expression ever again, and how could he bare for her to see him as her brother's killer.

Sansa was his one and only, she meant everything to him. She completed him in a way no other ever had, made him feel whole, but she was also his greatest weakness.

In the end, it was his cowardice and love that took him from Sansa, yet faith had brought him back. Revived him so that he might carry out the very duty he had died so that he might never commit it.

* * *

**Sansa**

**"I remember a time where we would dance,**

**and the world around us seemed to fade until only the two of us remained.**

**I never wanted it to end,**

**but,**

**It was me who first turned away to dance with another partner."**

* * *

Those who carry Stark blood are beloved by the Gods. They were chosen to shield and love those of the North and to believe in the power that they hold within them. They were chosen to lead the next generation into a time of peace, Rickon knows all this, yet to see the ghosts pour from the walls, faces familiar but they are strangers to him.

The dome glimmers golden as the past him by, some glancing at him and Osha as they march past, whispering amongst themselves, others stride forward with a singular purpose. They leave no sound in their wake, they neither shiver in their godly armors nor notice that many carry an almost identical sword

"They say that before she went to sleep, that the Lady would dance in this very spot." Rickon turns to see who speaks and draws closer to Osha when the man turns steely grey away from the Gods Trees and onto to Rickon.

Like the others who had passed them by, the man was familiar in a way that he shouldn't be. His features were known to Rickon, the grey eyes, the slight upturn of his lips in what was not quite a grin, and what stood out was the Stark wolf embroidered with care upon his cloak.

"Wolves blood runs in your veins, boy. Why stay trapped here?"

Rickon sneers, old habits forcing him to reveal his teeth in a growl as the man prowls forward.

"I'm trapped, the barrier hold's no matter what I do."

The man gives a bark of laughter, its loud and Rickon wonders briefly if the others will take notice of him now, but they're alone, the ghosts have vanished beyond their sight.

Up close Rickon can see the large scar that disfigures the man's throat. He is tall, this man, with board shoulders and skin as pale as the snowflakes which pass through him without notice. Osha weary, keeps her hands grasped around his shoulder, pulling him tight against her front, but there is no need, for Rickon knows the man can do him no harm.

"Are you a Stark," the man suddenly booms. "Do you hold the blood of the Gods, or are you are mere a boy?"

Straightening, he found unknown courage as he spoke the words, he knew to be true. "I'm a Stark of Winterfell,"

The man grinned a fanged smile. "Then break free. Do you think we've ruled the North with just our name? Our blood holds magic, boy. Look inside yourself and find what others have long since forgotten, find what made the Starks the most powerful family in the North." He leaned forward and whispered the words as if to stop anyone one else hearing them. "Find the magic that's lay dormant since the Gods separated."

* * *

**Sansa**

**"There was a time where I would have given away my immortally to be with you, to live and die a mortal life.**

**You were the first person besides Robb who I fully gave my heart too, and yet…I was able to say goodbye because I knew that even though you would be gone, that I would still have Robb.**

**But now I am without my brother, and nevertheless, you might be by my side, yet it's not at all what I wanted, what I dreamed, and I simply can't love you knowing that my brother waits for me."**

* * *

This isn't a war; this is nothing but slaughter and yet there is nothing any of them can do but try to fight their way through to where the Night King ultimately waits. Jon believes he might die here before he can fulfill his duty.

To die at the final hurdle might be a relief, for his heart and soul are not truly in this battle. Yes, he fights for the men and women who battle on beside him in the hopes that they might save their people, but it is Robb who he must kill.

Robb, who has been his brother in more than one life, but what Jon needs to remember is that The Night King isn't Robb, he's a shell of his former self, and its Jon's duty to finish him, just as Robb had asked him to do so long ago.

The blood that coats him is black and hardened, a new layer of red being added with each wright that he kills.

Many have died, they do not yet rise, but they will.

"Fight. Keep fighting. Don't give up." He repeats these words so much and roars with every swing of his sword that his voice is being to feels its strain.

Its when he's brought to his knees after a sword having pierced him from behind, a wright rushing forth that he knows that it's over.

The clang of a sword rising to defend him and the clattering of bone falling apart somehow reach his ears over the mountain of noise that surrounds him.

Eyes having shut when his impending doom rushed towards him, they now blinked open, unsure if he was dead considering the man who stood before him.

Cast in a ghostly light, the man wears Stark amour, the wolf proudly standing out on the sleeves of his jerkin.

"You'll not die here today, boy. Now stand."

The man speaks with a Northern lit, his voice deep and strong. He is familiar to Jon in a way that a man who he has never met should be, the tilting of his head, the stance he takes, and the expression upon his face is so like that of his Father, of Ned.

It becomes clear that there is not just this one man cast in a godly light, but many, who battle back the dead without injury to themselves.

From beside him, he feels more than see's the moment the bodies on the battlefield begin to reawaken.

Once more the man's blade is plunged into an enemy on Jon's behalf.

There can be only one reason the soul of a Stark man stands before him, and that's Sansa.

Unlike the Night King who has called the bodies of the dead to his aid, Sansa has done the same only she has called back the souls of those who carry within them her blood. These are Jon's blood, and somewhere on the battlefield his Father and brother both fight the dead.

There is a longing to search for them both amongst the fighting, but a single flash of red hair is all that is needed to recall why it is Jon needs to slay The Night King?

The ghosts of Stark men clear his path, leaving Jon to run towards where he'd seen the flash of Red, to where he knows they'll be waiting.

And they are waiting, the two facing one another as if they both have been waiting for this one moment since they parted, but that, of course, is not true.

The Night King looks emotionless as he gazes back at Sansa, while she, has given a relieved laugh as she begins to walk towards him, that walk becoming a jog, and before Jon knows it, she's running across the battlefield with nothing in her way to stop her, that is until Jon words brought her to a halt.

"I know that you think what your doing is the right thing, but he wouldn't want this, he wouldn't want to come back if it was at the cost of him losing you," Jon shouted, panting as his knees shook with the strain of standing.

"It's my choice." She shouted back without ever taking her eyes off the Night King who began to slowly walk towards her, prompting Jon to stagger forward.

"Don't screw with me, Sansa. You think you get a choice in whether you live or die?"

It was those words which finally had her turning to look at him.

"Do not take this from me, Jon. To die protecting my brother, it is a death I am worthy of." And then she smiled, and it was so carefree and happy that it stopped Jon in his tracks.

With Jon still a distance away, she took her chance and ran.

It reminded Jon of a dream, of watching something play out that you had no control over.

One second Sansa was before him, the next she had swung herself at the Night King, swinging around so that she clung to his back, arms, and legs wrapped around him.

The words she began whispering were lost to Jon as she ripped her wrist open with her teeth, the blood pooling across the Night Kings chest.

"Sansa!" Join turned in a moment of horror knowing the voice which called her name.

Rickon, riding atop Shaggydog came to a stop next to Jon.

Sansa, hearing him finally stopped her chanting and smiled, blood pooled from her lips leaving a trail down her chin, before she slumped forward, her gaze having grown weary.

The Night King who she still clung to had gone ridged and then began to glow. Without fully being aware of what he was doing Jon jumped at both Rickon and Shaggy as the Night King shattered hurdling the men closet to him flying in all directions.

* * *

**Jon**

**"I love you."**

* * *

The blast had sent then him quite a bit away from where he'd ordinary been standing, Shaggy who Jon tried to block from the blast was feet away, his eyes closed, but the rise and fall of his chest assured him that he was still alive.

Rickon's frantic voice was what had pulled Jon from his daze. He couldn't see him from where he lay, so with the little power, he had left he hoisted himself up, frantically searching for the red locks of his brother until he found him.

"Please," Rickon pleads, his hands fluttering uselessly along Sansa's body as if he can somehow save her. "Please don't leave me. PLEASE!" Jon feels his heart clench as he reaches them. "Jon! Jon, please! Please!"

Jon's body is frozen, he's incapable of moving, but Sansa swallows as she angles her head to see him and offer him a smile.

"Don't go, don't leave us." Rickon was crying over her, his tears were warm against her cooling skin.

She can't feel sad at this moment, and though she has no strength left to hold him, she offers Rickon a smile.

"I think this is our last goodbye." The blood spilling from her lips stained her teeth red. "I'm leaving the rest to you, Robb."

It was then Jon noticed the figure rising, ice crumbing as skin and soft red curls were revealed.

Robb has always been a man one could see was worthy of the title of God. He stood with the grace of a man who had lived longer than any in North, and yet at this moment, it was his sorrow which proved the men surrounding them why Robb had been beloved by the men and women who no longer lived.

"Sansa," he whispered as he kneeled by her side, Rickon watching him with weary eyes.

She gave a tired sigh, smiling as he wiped the blood from her lips. "He's going to need you. I need you to look after him for me."

Robb cast a quick glance at Rickon. "But what if I need you?"

"I have made many errors, but this isn't one of them." She said her voice so soft that Jon had to step forward to fully hear her. "Please, take care of him."

Robb smiled, taking a lock of her hair and burning it with his fingertips so that he held it in his hand. "I promise."

"Jon?" she said her eyes moving to him, calling him to her side.

Robb moved to pull Rickon away, knowing that this was a moment the two lovers needed alone.

"I could never have forgiven you had you stopped me, but now I am free."

"Sansa," he whispers, tears gathering in his eyes. "Where do Gods go when they die?

Sansa gave a shaky sigh. "I do not know, but it will be an adventure."

Jon nodded, swallowing back a sob as his tears fell. "This isn't farewell, this goodbye, isn't it?"

Sansa gave no answer other than a final smile before her eyes drifted away to the darkening night sky, stars already becoming visible above them.

"I think I should like to return to the stars," her blue eyes were losing their gleam, dulling as she spoke. "I'm glad that in the end, I have you all by my side."

It was then Jon noticed that they were surrounded on all sides, men of flesh and light encircling them. Some wept silently, others bowed their heads in respect for their fallen Lady, many of the ghosts raised their swords to the sky, their blades glowing brighter in the night light. Rickon's open crying could hear from behind him, and then Jon heard the church of snow as someone neared him.

Robb kneeled at his side, closing her eyes so that she looked peaceful in her enteral sleep. "She's smiling, and if this moment were not so cruel, I might think she was really asleep." Jon had no words to offer. "I shall return her to the stars from where which she came."

Jon didn't fully understand how he intended to do such a thing, but he watched none the less as Robb leaned down to press a kiss to Sansa's cheek, before placing a glowing hand to her chest. From the moment Robb touched her, Sansa became engulfed in the same golden light.

Robb stood to take a step back, so Jon did the same and could only watch in mild fascination as Sansa body began rising balls of golden light towards the sky, her body fading out of existents.

"Sansa!" Rickon shouted running forward to capture one of the balls of light.

He held it to his chest as if to somehow keep hold of it, and Jon wanted so badly to comfort his brother, but Robb was already there, kneeling at the youngest Starks side.

"I'm sorry that she can't be with you anymore, but that light belongs in the sky, where she might guide others,"

Rickon stubbornly held it tighter looked to see the other lights were far too high to reach.

"Your wrong," he said shaking his head. "Sansa would want to stay here, with you and me. She said she'd leave a piece of her with me, this is it."

Robb smiled sadly at Rickon. "I understand, but you see the piece of Sansa she's left with you is right here," Robb pressed his hand to where the mark of Sansa appeared on his skin and then pointed off to the side, causing Rickon to look at where Shaggydog stood. "And right over there."

Rickon understandably looked insure, keeping a tight grip of his light, but the grip slowly loosened, before finally, he opened his hands to allow the light to ascend.

"It was warm, like Sansa," Rickon says he follows the light with his eyes.

Robb nods placing his hand on Rickon's shoulder, knowing that he will be here for the boy, just as Sansa asked.

Jon, who has been watching the entire time finally allowed himself to watch as the last of the lights faded into the night sky. The stars seem to shine that much brighter, and if one of them twinkles at them, Jon can't help but think that wherever Sansa has gone that she might be watching over them.

Gazing at the sky he suddenly became dizzy and his body weak from fighting finally gave out, the snow acting as a pillow of sorts. His vision blurring and ears deaf to his surroundings, he didn't see his men rushing towards him, nor Rickon calling his name, he doesn't feel the blood leaving his body to soak the surrounding snow.

He sees only the star in the sky which twinkles and shines brighter than any other.

* * *

**Sansa**

**"Look to stars, you'll find me there."**

* * *

**When I was a young boy, Winter came with a howl louder than any wolf. A king made of ice had awoken from his slumber, and he sought but one thing, the warmth that once filled his life. He was searching for her, trying to find his way back, but she had hidden away, afraid see him, fearful of what he'd become, and frightened that the person she loved might truly be gone.**

**I don't remember how I came across her, only that I called out, and that she answered. She was sweet and kind, but sad and lonely, yet when I was with her, I felt nothing but warmth and love. In a way, I could understand why he searched for her, why he wouldn't allow anything to stop him in his quest to reunite with her.**

**I was angry when she left me, I yelled, cried and raged, I wanted to protect her. I didn't want to lose any more family, I thought that she would be the one to stay with me forever. It's only now that I understand why she had to go, and through a lifetime for me has passed, I miss her as if it were only yesterday that she left.**

**I warmed her heart as only a child could do, and when I first felt her embrace, I knew that I was finally safe. She had a mother's gentle touch, and eyes which were held such warmth. She would make the leaves dance, and the air was always warm where she stood.**

**As I grew older, my memories of Sansa became much more precious to me. Her smile, the colour of her eyes, the shade of her hair, people began to forget, but I remember.**

**I remember closing my eyes, and in a dream, I saw her who I missed most, dancing in the arms of my brother who fell during the war. They looked happy dancing amongst the stars, and sometimes when the night sky is clear, I can see two stars in distance sparkle and shine brighter than all others.**

**I tell their story to my children, and to their children so that they might never forget the woman who brought warmth back to the North.**


End file.
